Chapter 47

Hanebana instantly jumps down the balcony and - through the use of her strings - swings herself right onto the balcony of the first floor. I - not being able to perform such tricks - run to the stairs nearby, jump down the stairs and sprint right after Hanebana who entered yet another door and thus yet another hallway. She seems to have directly heard where the scream originated from as she opens a specific door. Then, upon trying to open it… It does actually open.

When she opens it, the screaming and crying we heard earlier gets a whole lot louder. I catch up to her and look inside.

Inside of the room sits Okubo. She sits inside of a puddle of blood, holding Iwata’s body in her arms. No need to say it, as it should be fairly obvious but: Iwata is dead. It seems as though his very organs have been ripped out of his chest. Behind the two of them lies the dead body of an Ubume, yet another S-Rank Yokai which takes on the form of a woman. The claw marks all over the Yokai’s corpse directly shows us that it was none other than Okubo that killed the Yokai. If I had to guess, I would say that the Ubume killed Iwata. Upon seeing this and licking the blood of her beloved, Okubo fully crashed out and killed the foe via her claws and enhanced form. From just how humiliated the corpse is, you can clearly see the mental state Okubo was just in. I am quite happy that I did not have to see that, as she must have been more scary and more terrifying than every other Yokai… Though this is not the right time to talk about such a thing.

Iwata, who was commonly known as one of the strongest students of our academy, has perished. It was clear that the words of Hanebana could not be more true.

I did never have too much respect for Iwata, if I can be honest for just a second: After all, he constantly said he was the strongest and most skilled around and yet lost to Hibiki each time, over and over again. They attacked Hibiki, two at once, even carrying weapons and lost. So Iwata could not be the strongest… and yet, I was always sure that he was the second strongest. Yet, here I stand. Yet, here Okubo stands. Are we perhaps stronger? I do not think so. And I do not think that it is important either and I do not think that this line of reasoning is actually logical. Because it was mostly likely nothing but stupid luck. I am sure that if someone else was in the position Iwata had been in, then they would have perished as well. Seeing just how mutilated his corpse is, I am sure that even Hibiki, who he always envied and hated, would most certainly have died. And all of this I think without even knowing anything about the fight itself: But I do know of Iwata. And because of that I know.

More often than not, those who are strong, those who should - theoretically - live the longest, die the soonest. Understanding that… hurts.

Okubo cries. She cries as Hanebana hugs her tightly. I would love to say some nice words to her, to try to cheer her up in any way. But after seeing just how furious, just how frustrated she was… I do not think I could. Yes, I might be able to say things like ‘He wouldn’t have wanted you to cry’ or anything the like, trying to help her if even just for a little while… But - if I were to say this - it would be wrong. Because I have grieved myself, because I am still grieving at this very moment because of everyone who died… Because of that I know that I am not qualified to help Okubo. I did neither know Iwata that good, nor did I like him that much. And he didn’t like me that much either, I think. The same also goes for Okubo…

And yet, I grab her hand.

I do not say anything. I do not try to give her advice. I do not try to cheer her up.

I simply grab her hand and squeeze it shortly.

Just to show her that I am there. Just so show her that - even if it feels like it - the world did not end. Even if Iwata, who was her love just up until now, died… She is still alive. Her world is continuing. That is the truth and I want to let her know that she is not alone. That she was not the first person to grieve the loss of a loved one and that she will not be the last one to grieve the loss of a loved one.

I hold her hand. I want her to know that she can feel lonely, but also that she does not have to feel lonely.

Just by standing by, just by showing her that I exist, just by showing her that she is not alone, just by showing her the world has not collapsed… Do I help her.

Soon enough Hanebana carries the fundamentally broken Okubo on her back. She does not even cry anymore: She is simply quiet and heartbroken. However, we still have to find one more person.

“Sherlock! Where are you?” I scream out loud. Yes, perhaps enemies might hear us. Perhaps a large group of Yokai will come at us in the very next moment, trying to rob us of our precious lives. But that is fine. If they come, we shall fight them. Finding Sherlock and prioritizing that no one else dies is by far the most important thing in my mind at this moment.